New Plant Breeding Techniques – 12 reasons to STOP these ‘New GMOs’

GMOs are “organisms, with the exception of human beings, in which the genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination” ~ definition of GMOs in Article 2 of the European Directive 2001/18 that regulates GMOs.

So far, European regulation on GM cultivation has stalled the production of most GM crops in Europe, but the biotech industry currently insists on bypassing current regulation and introducing a new series of GMOs to the European market . If these new GMOs were not labelled it would be impossible to develop GM-free and organic sectors. This attempt to introduce new GMOs in Europe constitutes an attack on peasants’ rights and the right to food. Biotech companies want to use Europe as a testing ground for these new GMOs.

These genetic manipulations can unpredictably generate many unexpected and concealed effects that represent health and environmental risks. The patents they are given threaten the right of peasants and family farmers to use their own seeds, the right of individuals to choose their food, and food sovereignty.

The biotechnology industry uses the term “New Plant Breeding Techniques” to refer to this new series of genetic engineering techniques claiming that they are not GM when in reality they are. Doing so the Seed biotechnological industry would like to avoid having the products issued by these techniques regulated as GMOs and intends, thus, to hide those GMOs from EU consumers who are fundamentally against GMOs.

As with transgenic GMOs, the first of these plants are herbicide tolerant. Their cultivation would necessarily increase the presence of pesticide residues in the soil and water, as well as in our food.

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